Transfigurations
'' |image= |series= |production=40273-173 |producer(s)= |story= |script=René Echevarria |director=Tom Benko |imdbref=tt0708833 |guests=Colm Meaney as Miles O'Brien, Mark La Mura as John Doe, Julie Warner as Christy Henshaw, Charles Dennis as Sunad, Patti Tippo as Temple |previous_production=Ménage à Troi |next_production=The Best of Both Worlds |episode=TNG C25 |airdate=4 June 1990 |previous_release=Ménage à Troi |next_release=The Best of Both Worlds |story_date(s)=Stardates 43957.2-43960.6 |previous_story=Ménage à Troi |next_story=The Best of Both Worlds }} =Summary= The Enterprise discovers a crashed escape pod in an unexplored star system. Investigating, they find there is one critically injured passenger in the pod, and the crew brings him aboard the ship. Dr. Crusher determines the survivor will live due to the stranger's own amazing recuperative powers. Crusher also notes that the survivor's cells are mutating in some way. A couple of days later the stranger finally awakens, but has no memory of his life or identity. The crew decides to call him "John Doe". Some time passes and John has recovered physically, but still has amnesia. In addition, from time to time he suffers from severe pain which is somehow tied to his ongoing mutation. He also begins emitting strange, bright energy bursts. John soon learns that he is able to use this energy to heal injuries, as witnessed by Crusher when he aids a patient in her Sickbay. In the meantime, Geordi La Forge has determined the pod the Enterprise discovered was a kind of storage device. Geordi is also able to interpret a star chart and find the location of John's home planet. However, John's memory has begun to return, and he senses that he must not go back to his home planet yet. A day or so later, a vessel intercepts the Enterprise, and John declares he has to leave. He tries to steal a shuttle and an energy burst accidentally knocks Lieutenant Worf from a walkway, resulting in a fatal fall to the floor below due to a broken neck. John then uses his healing powers to revive Worf and heal his injuries. Prevented from escaping, John explains that he wanted to leave as he is becoming a danger to himself and the crew. Captain Sunad of the intercepting ship communicates with the Enterprise, announcing he is from the planet Zalkon and that he wants John returned to him. He explains that John is a criminal who has been given a death sentence. Captain Picard considers the situation, but refuses to release John to the Zalkonians without more information as to the charges. He contacts the other ship and mentions John's strange powers, which alarms Captain Sunad. Sunad immediately triggers a device which causes the entire Enterprise crew to become unable to breathe. John resists the device and heals everyone aboard the Enterprise with one bright flash of his energy. His memory now restored, John transports Sunad to the Enterprise using his powers. John explains that his race has reached a new stage in evolution, in which they are evolving into beings of energy. His homeworld's government fears what is happening and, telling the population it as a deadly sickness, kills any who show the signs of change; John and others aboard the ship were escaping from their homeworld when attacked. John then becomes the first to complete the transformation, becoming invulnerable. John offers to help Sunad make this transformation as well, but Sunad still refuses. John sends Sunad back to his own ship, warning him that their government can no longer keep their people in ignorance. The Zalkonian ship then leaves the area. John bids the crew good-bye, transforms into energy and departs the ship. While it's not known where John went, the implication is that John left for his homeworld so that other Zalkonians would have the chance to evolve and join him. =Errors and Explanations= Internet Movie Database Incorrectly regarded as goofs # After John heals the whole ship of not being able to breathe, we see Data standing up, implying that he was suffering from the same problem, which, in itself, is rather unlikely considering that he is an android. On closer inspection, it appears more that he is standing up with Picard, after having checked on the Captain. Nothing indicates, however, that Data has actually been lying on the floor or suffering from any problems himself. Nit Central # Corey Hines on Friday, July 28, 2000 - 4:11 pm: You know, it would have helped if Doe actually told everyone his real name once he got his memory back. Perhaps he no longer considers it relevent, on account of his evolution. # Keith Alan Morgan (Kmorgan) on Monday, July 23, 2001 - 3:00 am: So what happened to Data when the Zalkonian choking ray was turned on? They never show us Data when the rest of the crew is choking. The only time we see him is when Picard gets up afterward and we see Data kneeling over him. Does this indicate that Data was affected or was he kneeling to check on the Captain? If Data was not affected by the beam then why didn't he fire on the Zalkonian ship? Two reasons. 1) Data is the Science Officer, not the Tactical officer. 2) Firing on the Zalkonian ship would have dragged the Federation into an interstellar war, # John A. Lang on Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 8:47 pm: How come there are no VULCANS on the Enterprise to do a mind meld with John Doe to establish his identity? A mind meld may not have work, especially if his memoray loss was as severe as indicated throughout the episode. In any case, it could have been considered too dangerous for both participants. # John A. Lang on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 10:13 pm: How come nobody suggested that John Doe see Counselor Troi to find out more about John Doe...even if it was just a sliver of information? I find it all but too convenient that she wasn't seen until the final chapter of the episode. LUIGI NOVI on Monday, January 12, 2004 - 9:21 am: How would Troi be able to find out more about John Doe? He has no memory. John A. Lang on Monday, January 12, 2004 - 9:58 am: She could've said, "I sense he is telling the truth. His memories are blocked due to the traumatic accident" or something like that. # John A. Lang on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 10:25 pm: I find it odd that John Doe...a man from another planet...knows how to operate the panel in the Shuttlebay. (They REALLY need to get rid of the "alien friendly" equipment on the Enterprise) He probably has a natural instinct which allows him to instantly understand how to operate other people's equipment. # Francois Lacombe (Franc0is) on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 4:09 pm: Sunad gives the order to fire on the Enterprise, and THEN John transport him on the Enterprise's bridge. Why didn't Sunad's crew fire? They had their backs turned to him and didn't seem to notice that he was gone, at least not right away, so why didn't they obey his direct order and open fire? Andre Reichenbacher (Amr) on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 5:48 pm: Maybe his crew was so shocked that their commander was transported away by a mere hand motion from John Doe that they were temporarily disoriented and forgot about the order to fire all weapons. At least that's what I think happened. And I still wonder just how powerful the Zalkonian ship's weapons were. They already had access to a "choking device", so perhaps they really were more than a match for the Enterprise. Good thing it didn't come to that, huh? =Sources= Category:Episodes Category:The Next Generation